Paper crinkling



Aug. 4, 1825. 1,518,788 w. A. LORENZ PAPER CRINKLING Filed Feb. 16, 1921 2 sheet -$11881 1 Fzyi Aug. 4, 1925. v 1,548,788

7 W. A. LORENZ PAPERVCRINKLING Filed Feb. 16, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 To all whom it may concern:

Patented A 4,1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM A. I.oRENz, or HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AssIGNoR 'ro THE o'rAKA FABRIC COMPANY, or HARTFORD, CGNNECTICUT, A ORPORATION or CoNNEC'rICU'r.

- PAPER CRINKILING.

Application as February 16, 1921. Serial o. 445,286.

Be it knownthat I, WILLIAM A. LORENZ, a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford. in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Paper Crinkling, of which the following is a speciused for towels, etc.

fication.

4 This invention relates to gathering a web of paper or paper pulp both laterally and longitudinally.

The web is first gathered laterally by forming lengthwise corrugations or fiutings therein. These corrugations are preferably parallel withthe edges of the web, and may be made? by passing "the web between pe ripherally grooved rolls. The web is then gathered longitudinally by forming trans? verse crinkles therein. 1

Smooth or uricorrugated paper has usu.- ally been crinkled transversely the employment of a stripper blade. stripper blade engages the surface of the-cylinder upon which the web is carried, and works its-way between the paper and the cylinders A stripper blade forms an abrupt angle to the Cylinder, and consequently the paper (which is moist and hence adheres to the cylinder) is crushed against the blade (usually termed a doctor-blad.e.). ,,and thereby crinkled.

In my former application lid 346,310, now pending, is disclosed a doctor-blade so as'to strip the paper: from, the cylinder and crinkle it.

A doctor-blade sets a relatively low limit to the speed of operation, because if the cylinder advances the paper with too high velocity against the blade,the latter is apt to strip the paper improperly from the cylinder and tear it, especially if the paper is of low grade and weak,;s'uch as commonly Accordingly, this invention dispenses with the use of a doctoror doctor-blade, and. an object of the invention is to enable the paper to be crinkled transversely at much higher speed than heretofore found racticable,

' and to, minimize or avoid liability of rupture, so that not only high grade papersbut also low grade material may be rapidly and safely crinkled after corrugation.

It is in order .to accomplish this result I that the doctor-blade is eliminated. The

gated cylinder, the second cylinder being.

also corrugated and meshing with the cor.-

rugations on the main cylinder, but out of ontact therewith. The moist web, which is in corrugated condition' as it is advanced .around the main cylinder, is carried into a throat formed by the co-operation of the two cylinders. In this throat the Web is retarded by the second cylinder, which is geared to run at slower surface speed than the main cylinder; said cylinder being placed so near each other that the second cylinder engages the web. The paper or web tends to choke up the throat, whereby theoncoming web is driven against the portion of web that is choked in the throat, and thereby the oncoming web, in pushing the leading portion of web through the throat, is crushed or crinkled transversel'ythroughout its corrugations, and the paper or web emerges on the other side of the throat with .it emerges, it niay pass around the second cyliiider at about the same speed as the latter, and carried ofi upon a delivery belt. The web thus passes between the members of the crinkling set, with great advantage,

as compared with the, use of a doctor or doctor-blade, which turns the paper aside.

Said second or crinkling cylinder is pref erably provided with clearance to control and improve the character 6f the crinkling; and this clearance may .be in the nature of grooves cut or sunk in the periphery of the ciinkling cylinder and extendin longitudinally thereof, preferably para el with the axis of .the cylinder, although the grooves. may'if desired run helically: along the cylinder. These clearance grooves may be .of nearly or about the same depth as the grooves which run. around the cylinder,

and Lence may divide the peripheral ridges into sets of teeth, which enter the grooves in the-main cylinder to engage the paper or material carried around y the latter, and retard the same, and hence duly effect the desired crinkling. The teeth match the grooves in the. main cylinder, but do not scrape or touch the latter,- so that tearing or injury of the web is avoided. The paper. or material will crinkle more readily 1n the Q v c 1,548,788

clearances than where gripped by the teeth, and hence the corrugated product may have an aspect of discontinuous or spotty crin-' of the machine, as, for example, in the case of crinkling heavy or stiff or partly dried T kling, highly crinkled portions alternating with less crinkled or uncrinkled portlons. The highly crinkled portions correspond with the longitudinal grooves in the crinklingcylinder, or with the peripheral spaces between the teeth, and hence the, product may comprise panels of corrugated crinkled paper alternating with panels of lain corru gated paper, thus iving the pro not a pleasr, mg appearance. his increases its salabllity, especially when the paper or product 1s subsequently run between plain calendermg and burnishing rolls (shown in my appllcation No. 440,869,-filed January 29, 1921) 1n the manufacture of paper towels, for example. The unca-lendered product, however, which is stretchable in all directions, is useful for many other purposes, such as bag linings, barrel linings, wall paper, etc., a

a. eat variety of grades, welghts and qua ties of material may"be treated in this man- The invention also overcomes a further difficulty which has been experienced in crinklingcorrugated paper, which is that 1 such paper, on account of its'stifi'ness dueto the 'corrugations,'tends-to spring away from the main cylinder, and hence not driven thereby properly. against the abrupt stripper blade or doctor-blade, which, b

a forcing itself between the web and the cy inder, has the effect of increasing the objectionable tendency of the web to separate from the. cylinder. come this difliculty, it has been usual to subject the corrugated paper, especially if heavy or stifl, to a reat deal of moistening, to increase its tend ncy to adhere to the surface of the main cylinder, to enable the latter to drive and crush the paper. The 'present invention, however, is not in the na-' ture of a doctor-blade, and does not exhibit its faults, but the second or crinkling cylinder, on the contrary, is effective to hold the opportunity to become separated from the corrugated paper down or bend 1 it around' the main or carrying cylinder, and minimize or overcome its tendency to spring away from said main cylinder. his result is also favored by the. adaptabili y of the 'invention to be operated at high speed, inasmuch as the oncomingheavypaper is reduced toa crinkled condition in the throat before it has.

main cylinder in advance of the crinkling line. In the matter of speed, it will be seen that the invention possesses the-advantagethat if the speed of the main cylinder is increased, the speed. of the crinkling cylinder increases with it, while the effect upon the paper or web continues about the same at high speed as at low speed. This increase of speed not only reduces the cost of pro- ;ing' corrugated In attempting to overduction, which is arr essential item in making towels, for example, but also improves the character of the crinkling and the reliability The web is caused to hug themain cylin-' der or carrying roll closely, especially when the rolls are of relatively large diameter, thus extending the narrow portion of the throat and confining the uncrinkled advancaper against springing away fromthecyhndenso that more remote portions are bent down upon or caused to hu the cylinder.

K variety of designs upon the product may be produced by making appropriate variations in the crinkling cylinder. For example, the clearance grooves may be arrangedas in right and left-hand helices, so that the grooves cross one another, and so that the teeth have an echelon arrangement.

The material employed is preferably a web or pulp or semi pulp which is producible upon a paper machine before the web reaches the final point where it would be converted intop aper. The pulp or semi-pulp is readily stretched by corrugating rolls in forming the longitudinal grooves, and the web,

while. still in moist condition, is then ex- ,cellentlycrinkled by the fast and slow cylinders in the manner described, and the productmay be dried and used for various purposes, or, if desired, it may be run, through calendering and burnishing rolls Figure 2is a sectional side elevation taken at about the line 22 of- Figure 1.

-Figure 3 is anbnlarged sectional fragment to illustrate, diagrammatically the crinklingoperation.

Figured shows a ccorrugating couple comprising a rubber, felt or other soft roll for. corrugatingthe web longitudinally.

;,Figure \5 shows a belt for pressing the pulp material intothe -peripheral grooves of the maincylinder.

By using a portion of a paper-making machine, paper pul is formed into a web 10. This web may, e carried between rolls 11, 12, which press out the Water. From these rolls the web may be led at 13 in a Q semi-pulp condition around a guide-roll 14, and thence around a main cylinder 15,

forming a member of a crinkling set. In

its original width.

wise corrugated, as, for example, by either grooves alternating with ridges 21, to

mesh with cylinder 15 and force the paper into the grooves 16, whereby the web is longitudinally corrugated, the material because of its pulpy' condition being capable of stretching or flowing laterally as far as required as an incident to rolling the corrugations, the web retaining substantially The web may be otherof the means shown at Figures 4 and 5,

hereinafter explained; and the invention is l ll not limited to the use of pulp or semi-pulp web, inasmuch as a web of finished paper, properly moistened, may be carried around thecylinder 15 for the'purpose of crinkling or of both corrugating and crinkling the same. I v a I The corrugated web, advancing around cylinder 15, enters a throat 22 formed by the co-operation with cylinder 15 of a crinkling cylinder 23, which is peripherally grooved at 24c. to correspond with ridges 25 in cylinder 15, so that the cylinders may run in mesh. These cylinders are connected by means of a small gear 26 rigid with cylinder 15, and a large gear 27 rigid with cylinder 23, so that the latter runs at a lower surface speed. The speed of 23 may be of any desired ratio, for different purposes. 1

The throat 22 gradually grows very narrow, inasmuch as the cylinders are set closely together, as seen. at' Figure 3, or in inter-meshing relation but without contact. It will be understood" that the throat as viewed froinabove has an undulating configuration. grips or touches the paper and retards it, causing the oncoming web to choke the throat and to form-into transverse crinkles; and the longitudinally corrugated and transversely crinkled product is led around slow cylinder 23 at 28and carried off upon a delivery belt 29 to any suitable drying apparatus. Then, if desired, it may be smoothed out, calendered or burnished.

Preferably the crinkling cylinder orroll 23 is provided with numerous clearances in the nature of grooves 30 extending preferably parallel with the axis of the cylinder, and forming spaces into which the web can crinkle at short intervals, the character and depth of the crinkling being controlled. by the frequency and depth of the clearances 30 and by the intervals between the clearances. At the intervals the web is left substantially in an uncrinkled condition, so hat the crinkled portions or panels 31 The slowly moving cylinder 23 alternate with uncrinkled' portions or panels 32 in the product, forming'a checkerwork, as indicated diagrammatically at 31.

The clearance grooves-30 form the ridges of the crinkling cylinder into teeth 33, which mesh in the grooves 16 in the main cylinder-15, Figure 3. The-rear face of each tooth is preferably radial, while the advancing face is preferably oblique, as illustrated at Figures 2 and 3; but the invention is not limited to this type of tooth. The web may crinkle against the rear edges of each tooth, into the clearances between the teeth. I

At Figure 4, the corrugations are effected by a cylinder 34 having thick facing or surface of a rubber compound or other soft material 35, which yieldingly presses the semi-pulp material 13 into the g ooves on the main cylinder 15. Preferably this cylinder 34 has alternating peripheral grooves 36 and ridges 37 to mesh with the grooves and ridges in the cylinder 15; but in some cases the grooves 36 may be omitted, anda plain soft cylinder used. The cylinders 34 and 15 press together, and'the soft material tendsto pack the web into the grooves in' the cylinder 15 without danger of rupturing or unduly weakening'the web, and effects a satisfactory corrugation of the fabric.

At Figure 5 there is arranged to co-oper ate with the grooved main cylinder 15 an endless belt 38, which runs over powerdriven guide rolls'39, 40, 41, and may be made of woven fabric or other material suitable to press the pulp material 13 into the grooves 16 of-the cylinder 15; the belt being sufficiently tight for this purpose.

If the two cylinders 15 and 23 are rotated at the same speed, fabric may be embossed thereby,and this method has many advantages. over the ordinary method of embossing. For embossing, the main roll 15 may have a facing of a suitable soft rubber compound, and the cylinders may be pressed together. so that the embossing design upon the embossing cyliriler may be pressed into the material of the corrugated cylinder.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of theinvention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described my invention, I

threads, between the cylinder, and I the surface speed than the main cylinder;

grooved member. s

2. The. combination of a peripherallygrooved main cylinder for carr ing a'longitudinally corrugated web, and a second peripherally-grooved cylinder meshing with said main cylinder but-out of contact therewith, and sufficiently rough to do-operate with said main cylinder to form means for retarding and. transversely crinkling the web, the second cylinder revolving at less 3. The combination ofa peripherallygrooved main cylinderfor carrying alongitudinally corrugated web, and a second peripherally;grooved cylinder meshing with said main cylinder but out of'contact therewith, and connected to have a slower surface speed than the main cylinder, and sufficiently rough to co-operate with said main' cylinder to form means for retarding. and transversely crinkling the web. 54

4. The combination of a peripherallygrooved main cylinder for carrying a longi tudinally corrugated web, and-a second peripherally-grooved cylinder meshing with said main cylinder but out of contact therewith, and connected to have a slower surface speed thanthe main cylinder, and having a roughened surface, and co-operating with said main cylinder to form means for retarding and transversely crinkling the web. 7 I r 5. An -ap ara'tus for transversely; crinkling and a vancing aweb of paper or the like, comprising two corrugated members between w'hich the web advances and by which opposite faces-fof the web are simultaneously engaged, and theweb is reduced 7 The method of crinkling 'a longitudi-' nally corrugated web of paper or the like, consisting in threading it through a constricted undulatory throat to choke the throat and retard the progress of the web, andcause the oncomingxw'eb to engage 0pposite sides of the throat simultaneously and thereby form into crinkles within the throat and to emerge at the delivery end of the throat.

8. An apparatusfor crinkling transversely an advancing web of longitudinally cor rugated paper or the like, comprising an" undulatory' throat, said apparatus compris:

I ing provision for. thrusting the web into and threading 1t through the throat with both its faces in contact with the throatto choke the same and cause the web to crinkle.

9. An apparatus for crinkling transversely an advancing web of longitudinally corrugated paper or the like, comprising an' undulatory throat, said apparatus comprising provision for thrusting the web into and threading it through the throat with both its faces in contact with the throat to choke the same and cause the web to crinkle, and said throat being provided with clearances for the crinkling.

10. An apparatus 1 for crinkling transversely a longitudinally corrugated web of paper or the like, comprising a throat into which the web advances, said throat having means for crinkling certain portions of the web, and leaving other portions uncrinkled. [11. The combination with a revolving corrugated main cylinder around which a moist web of pulp or paper is advanced, of a device to co-operate with said cylinder for the double pu'rposeof crinkling a longitudinally corrugated web transversely and confining it against bulging away from said cylinder, said device co-operating with said cylinder to form a confining undulatory constricted throat through which the web threads and by which the confined web is engaged on its opposite faces and reduced in speed and'crinkled.

12. The combination with a revolving corrugated main cylinder around which a molst web of pulpor paper is advanced, of a device to .co-operate with said cylinder for the double purpose of crinkling a longitudinally corrugated web transversely and confining it against bulging'awa y from said cylinder, said device oo-operating with said cylinder to form a'confining undulatory constricted throatthrough which the web threads and by which the confined web is engaged, on its opposite faces and reduced in speed and crinkled, said co-operating device provided with clearances for the crinkling. s

13. The process of making paper which is'stretchable' in'all directions, comprising formin "longitudinal. corrugations in and 'then a vancing a moist web of pulp, semipulp or paper into a constricted throat to be threaded through the. throat with both its faces in engagement with the throat and to choke the throat and cause the paper to crinkle transversely. v

14. The combination of a peripherallygroovedmain cylinder for carrying a longitudinally corrugated web, means or pressing the web against thewylinder, and a .second cylinder geared to the first cylinder to run at slower surface speed. and operating to retard the paper. and sufiiclently rough to c'o-operate with: the first cylinder to crinkle the paper transversely. 1

15. The combination of a peripherallywith the first cylinder to crinkle the papergrooved main cylinderfor carrying a longitudinally corrugated web, means for pressing the web against the cylinder, and a second cylinder geared to the first cylinder to run at slower surface speed and operat ing to retard the paper and sufiiciently' rough to co-operate with the first cylinder to crinkle the paper transversely, said cylinders being out of contact 'but placed so close together that the crinkling cylinder engages theweb.

'16. The combination of a peripherallygrooved main cylinder for carrying a longi tudinally corrugated web, means for pressing the web against the cylinder, and a second cylinder geared to the first cylinder to run at slower sur face speed and operating to retard the paper and to co-operate transversely, said second cylinder provided with clearances for the crinkling.

17 The combination of "a peripherallygrooved main cylinder for carrying a longitudinally corrugated web means for pressing the web against the cylinder, and a.

secdnd cylinder geared to the first"cylin'der to run at slower surface speed and opera-t ing-to retard the paper and to co-operate with the first cylinder to crinkle thepaper transversely, said second cylinder provided with clearances for the crinkling, said clearances in the nature of grooves-in the periphcry of the'crinkling cylinder and extending longitudinally thereof.

18. The combination of a peripherallygrooved main cylinder for carryin 'a longitudinally corrugated web, means for pressing the web against the cylinder, and a second cylinder geared to the first cylinder to run at slower surface speed and operating to retard the'paper and to co-operate with the first cylinder to crinkle the paper transversely, said second cylinder provided with clearances for the crinkling, said clearances in the nature of grooves in the periphery vof the crinkling cylinder and extending longitudinallyv thereof and parallel with the axis of the cylinder.

19. The combination of a peripherallygrooved main cylinder for carrying. a longitudinally corrugated web, means for pressing the againstthe cylinder, and a second cylinder geared to the first cylinder to run at slower surface speed and operating to retard the paper and to co-operate with the first cylinder to crinkle the paper transversely, said second cylinder provided with clearances for the crinkling, said clearances in the nature of grooves in the periphery of the crinkling cylinder and extending longitudinally thereof, said clearance grooves being nearly or about the same depth as peripheral grooves which run around the crinkling cylinder.

v20., The combinationof a peripherallyformed on the crinkling cylinder into sets of teeth which enter the grooves inthe main cylinder to engage and retard the web and effect the crinkling, saidteeth having an echelon arrangement.

21. The herein-described means for longi- I tudinally corrugating a Web, comprising a corrugated main cylinder of metal'orhard material, and a pressure roll having a. relatively soft surface to press -'the web into the corrugations of the main cylinder.

tudinally corrugating a web, comprising a corrugated main cylinder of metal or hard material, and a pressure roll havinga relatively soft surface to press the web into the corrugations of the main cylinder, said soft roll or cylinder having corrugations to mesh with those in the main cylinder.

22. The herein-described means forilongi- 23. The combination with a-peripherallygrooved cylinder around which a longitudinally corrugated web advances, of means co-operating with said cylinder and entering the grooves thereof to form a constricted throat of undulating contour which is choked 'by the web as it threads therethrough with both its faces in contact therewith, whereby the Web is caused to crinkle transversely as it advances through said throat.

24. The combination with a peripherallygrooved cylinder around which a longitudinally corrugated web. advances, of means means co-operating with said cylinder and entering the grooves thereof to form a constricted throat of undulating contour which is choked by the advancing web, which is caused to crinkle transversely as itadvances into said throat, said co-operating means in the form of a'corrugated cylinder geared to revolve at slower surface speed than the main cylinder.

25. The combination with a peripherallygrooved cylinder around which a longitudinally corrugated web advances, of means co-operating with said cylinder and entering the grooves thereof to fdrm a constricted throat of undulating contour which is choked by the advancing web, which is caused to crinkle transversely as it advances into said throat, said co-operating means in the form of a corrugated cylinder geared to main cylinder, said co-operativecylinder.

formed with ,clearance revolve at slower surface speed than the spaces for the crin; kling. 26.. The combination of a peripherallygi'ooved maincylinder for carrylng a lODgI-a tudinally corrugated web", 'means for pressing the web against the cylinder, and a.

" second cylinder geared to the first cylinder town at slower surfac'espeed and operating to retard thepaper and to co-operate with the first cylinder to crinkle the paper transversely, said second cylinder provided with clearances for the crinkling, said clearances in the nature of grooves in the periphery of the crinkling cylinder and extendlng longitudinally thereof, said clearance grooves dividing peripheral ridges formed on the crinklingcylinder into sets 1 of teeth which enter the grooves in the main cylinder to engage and retard the weband efi'ect thecrinkling, said teeth formed with rear faces which are substantially radial.

27. The combination or a peripherally:

grooved main cylinder for carrying a. 'longi-, tudinally corrugated web, means for pressing the web against the cylinder, and a secondcylinder gearedto the first cylinder to run at slower surface speed and operatin to retard the paper and to co-operate wit the first cylinder to crinkle the pa er trans-' crinkling, said teeth formed with rear faces which are substantially radial and with advancing faces which are oblique, as set forth.

' LIAM A. LORENZ.

Witnesses: I

CATHERINE A. NEWELL, EDITH B. Linear. 

